The acquisition of the Kewaunee Power Station in the Town of Carlton could shave as much as 40 years off decommissioning efforts. EnergySolutions announced on Wednesday it would be acquiring the shuttered Kewaunee Power Station from Dominion Energy, which has been performing its own clean-up work at the site since it shut down the plant in 2013.
In June 2017, Dominion Energy completed the used nuclear fuel transfer to the onsite dry fuel storage facility. EnergySolutions specializes in nuclear power plant decommissioning efforts, having done so at the historic Three Mile Island Unit-2 in Pennsylvania, the LaCrosse Boiling Water Reactor in Wisconsin, and the Zion Nuclear Power Station in Illinois. What was originally expected to take 50 years under Dominion Energy control will now take approximately 10 years under EnergySolutions.
Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ben Nelson says the soon-to-be new owners have already inquired about keeping as much of the work done by local businesses.
Nelson estimates the decommissioning will create approximately 200 jobs and the annual spend during it will be $85 million. He says they have also started some conversations about what could be next for the over 900-acre parcel after it is decommissioned.
Kewaunee County Administrator Scott Feldt said in a statement that they were thankful for the relationship they had with Dominion Energy and look forward to its new partnership with EnergySolutions.
Decommissioning work done by EnergySolutions could begin as soon as 2022 pending the approval of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Picture courtesy of Kewaunee County
